Furious 7 is Hollywood's Greatest Car Smashup

Updated on April 9, 2015

A scene from Furious 7

Some of the cars consumed in the movie.

The film is a blockbuster and a tribute to Paul Walker who died during the filming. Having never ever seen any of the other six films, this is the only one you need to see. The film only a few million to make and after you see the film you will understand why it is Hollywood's great smash up.

How many cars were literally smashed up during the filming of this movie? Two hundred and thirty to be exact. So, 230 perfectly good cars wrecked, or 25 cars a day! These cars would be towed away to the unused parking lot at Monarch Ski Resort in Colorado, where much of the film was shot. As the cars were wrecked daily, new, fresh cars, 100% fine, were brought to the set for their use in the numerous car scenes. In the movie, there is dramatic chase scene at Monarch Pass in Colorado. The sequence wrecked 40 cars alone.

Remember the TV show, Dukes of Hazzard, in that show there was an orange Dodge Charger called the General Lee. During the show's filming history, a total of 300 Chargers were used. I always thought it was the same car! But, where to these cars go? They go mostly to Cinema Vehicles Services, a company that disposes them in some way. For instance, the movie, Captain America: The Winter Soldier consumed 150 vehicles after the filming was a wrap in Cleveland, Ohio. Not all were smashed, so the company had to sort them out and it took five 18-hour days to do so. Out of that number, only 40 were salvageable for reuse and shipped back to L.A. Even 1983's movie, Christine, consumed 25 old Plymouths, however one did survive and recently sold for $164,000 in Arizona.

The majority of cars are irreparable and eventually shipped over to China or Japan to be melted down and once again, a new car is made that might be used in an American film!